As we begin the New Year, we spoke to industry leaders to reflect on the shifts that shaped 2025 and the forces expected to define 2026. For Shahir Muneer, Founder and CEO, Divo, 2025 marked a decisive shift towards an artist-first, creator-powered, and data-led music and content economy.
Speaking about what defined 2025, Muneer says, "The biggest trend of 2025 was the mainstreaming of non-film and regional independent music. For the first time, India’s charts were consistently dominated by artist-led, non-film tracks, powered by short-form content and creator collaborations. Labels ramped up artist development, while distribution and marketing became data-led. 2025 marked the shift from a film-soundtrack economy to an artist-first, catalogue-driven music ecosystem.”
Looking ahead to 2026, he adds, “AI will play a far bigger role in music and content workflows, editing, mastering, visualisation, metadata, but authorship will remain firmly human-led. Major labels and platforms will tighten guidelines around ethical AI usage, while AI-assisted productivity becomes the norm.
Regional markets will increasingly drive national consumption. Discovery will continue to start on short-form video, but high-value monetisation will come from DSPs, live, sync, and brand collaborations. Labels and brands will prioritise regional depth over pan-India uniformity, making vernacular creators and artists central to marketing and music strategy. The boundaries between influencers, musicians, and entertainers will blur further. Brands will shift from tactical influencer posts to creator-led IPs and long-term partnerships. Music labels will integrate artist management, branded content, and creator collaborations. Platforms will enable richer commerce layers for creators. In 2026, the creator economy continues to evolve into a full-fledged content, commerce, and community engine, powering entertainment and marketing.”
(As told to Ruchika Jha)
